St. Andrew's School (Parañaque)

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For other places with the same name, see St. Andrew's School (disambiguation).
St. Andrew's School
Image:SAS logo.png
Motto Pro Deo et Pro Patria
"For God and For Country"
Established June 27, 1917
Type Private, Catholic, Parochial
Rector Msgr. Manuel G. Gabriel
Students 2, 243 A1
Location Quirino Ave., La Huerta,
Parañaque City, Metro Manila,
Flag of the Philippines Philippines
Campus Urban
Colors Blue █ and Gold █
Hymn St. Andrew's School Hymn
Patron Saint Andrew
Website www.andreans.edu.ph
Note A1: As of S.Y. 2007-2008.

Saint Andrew's School (SAS) is a private Catholic parochial school of the Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew and managed by the Diocese of Parañaque. It is located in Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines. The school offers preschool, primary, secondary and alternative[1] education.

In February 2006, the school was temporarily closed due to mercury spillage[2] and its exposure to 89 students and 17 teachers, totaling to 106 victims[3][4], resulting a nationwide restriction of mercury usage in schools.[5][6] In May 2006, different environmental agencies conducted a clean-up of the spillage.[7][8]Thus, it was announced that the school is "mercury-free"[9] and the school reopened on June 2006.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The Augustinians

Further information: History of the Cathedral Parish of Saint Andrew

St. Andrew Parish was established by the Augustinian missionaries who landed in a fishery village during the Spanish era in the Philippines to evangelize and spread Christianity to the land.[10] These missionary friars ruled over Palanyag for almost four hundred years.

[edit] The CICM Missionaries

The original building of St. Andrew's School located at the present site of St. Paul College of Parañaque
The original building of St. Andrew's School located at the present site of St. Paul College of Parañaque

After the Augustinians came the missionaries of the Belgium Scheut Missionaries or the Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Mariae (CICM), otherwise known as the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.[11] Rev. Fr. Joseph "Pare Jose" Van Runckelen was assigned as parish priest of St. Andrew Parish on October 1915.[12] He proposed to provide education to boys and girls of the parish. With the donations and help from the people of Belgium, Fr. Van Runckelen established the said school on June 27, 1917, and titled it after Saint Andrew, the patron of the parish.[12][13] Incorporated in his newly-established elementary school were four of his colleagues from CICM. One of the first teachers in the school is Eleuterio de Leon who had been Mayor of Parañaque.

In 1932, Fr. Van Runckelen expanded the school, and with Mrs. Gloria Aspillera-Quintos, he founded the high school department. The new department started with 32 students (20 boys and 12 girls) and ended up to seven (four boys and three girls); moreover, the seven were the first high school graduates dubbed as The Magnificent Seven.[12]

Rev. Fr. Antonio Van Overveld took over Fr. Runkelen's position from 1934 to 1937. In his period, the school was relocated from the original, which is present site of St. Paul College of Parañaque, to the Parañaque convent building, where the school is presently located.[12][13]

After Fr. Van Overveld, Rev. Fr. Adolfo Cansse became school director from 1937 to 1952.

[edit] From co-educational to "exclusive for boys"

When World War II broke out in 1941, the school was closed. After the war, the school re-opened for school year 1945-1946 through the efforts of Fr. Cansse and notable faculty members. However, the school opened only the first year class and it was exclusively for boys. St. Paul College of Parañaque, a neighboring school, offered education only for girls.[12]

Fr. Cansse, as a civil engineer, expanded the school by building the gymnasium and more classrooms in 1949. Rev Fr. Louis Thys, school director from 1952-1977, made several improvements in the school such as a three-story building of different facilities and the library on the second floor. The school hymn, composed by Mr. Francis Dandan, was first sang by the graduating class of 1976.[14] Also, 55 typewriters were acquired, resulting the inclusion of the bookkeeping subject for third year and stenography and typing in the fourth year curricula.[12]

Fr. Foulon soon became the school director from 1977 to 1991. In 1979, the annual publication of The Andrean initiated. Rev. Fr. Joseph Gevaert, the last CICM school director, managed from 1991-1993.[12]

[edit] Religious to diocesan, and the revival of coeducation

The old facade of St. Andrew's School and St. Andrew Parish.
The old facade of St. Andrew's School and St. Andrew Parish.

The year 1994 marked the transformation of the parish's and school's administration from religious to diocesan. Rev. Fr. Romerico A. Prieto, the first diocesan parish priest of the parish became school director from 1994 to 1995; followed by Rev. Fr. Manuel Sebastian (1995-1996) and Msgr. Manuel Valenzuela (1996-2004).[13]

Msgr. Valenzuela made numerous developments to the school: the construction of a new building for the preschool and elementary department, a new gymnasium, computer rooms, laboratories for physics, chemistry and home economics and other facilities. In 1999, the preschool department, later dubbed as the Center for Early Childhood Education (CECE), was founded by Msgr. Valenzuela and Mrs. Gertrudes F. Bautista. Also in the same year the coeducational status was revived. It started in the CECE department (S.Y. 1999-2000) and the elementary department (S.Y. 2000-2001)[15]

[edit] The birth of a new Diocese

His Eminence Jaime Cardinal Sin erected the new Diocese of Parañaque on December 7, 2002. Cardinal Sin elected Bishop Jesse E. Mercado, D.D. as the first bishop of the diocese. Msgr. Manuel Gabriel then became school director from 2004 until present.

[edit] Mercury spillage

In February 2006, the school had a mercury spillage during a science experiment on February 16. From the 89 students exposed with mercury, 11 were confined in the Philippine General Hospital on February 20,[2] and were released after few days.[3] Several students were given chelation therapy to remove the mercury in their blood.[16] Due to the incident, the school was temporarily closed. Graduating students, whose education was postponed due to the school's closure, had classes on St. Paul's College of Parañaque; while the undergraduates had home studying modules.[17] Different agencies from the national and local government pushed efforts to decontaminate the mercury, though they were unsuccessful.[18] The Department of Health hired experts from United States for the clean-up,[19] and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of United States responded to give help.[20] Globecare and Royal Haskoning of the Netherlands conducted the clean-up and charged for free. Jun Bernabe, mayor of Parañaque, purchased a Lumex machine that aided in conducting mercury levels in the school premises. Parañaque representative Eduardo "Ed" Zialcita proposed a bill that bans the use of mercury in schools.[7]

Health Secretary Francisco Duque, after assuring on the positive findings of the Inter-Agency on Environmental Health validated by the US EPA, declared the school safe from mercury contamination and classes will resume on June 2006.[9]

Despite the incident, St. Andrew's School gained an award from the Consumers and Marketing Executive in the Philippine Marketing Excellency Awards for being The Most Outstanding Catholic School for Boys (Parañaque) on May 2006.[21]

[edit] Origin of the spillage

There were several claims on the origin of the mercury spillage. One is the location of the spillage; there were reports that the mercury spilled in the classroom[18] or in the science laboratory.[22] Another is the action on how the mercury spilled. There were claims that the science teacher allowed to pass the beaker of mercury to the class only to observe it;[2] others claimed that the students played with the mercury,[23][18] and others claimed that the beaker was accidentally opened.[3]

[edit] Contemporary

In the late 2005, the gymnasium was demolished to make way for a six-story building with the gymnasium at the uppermost floor. The construction of the said building was finished on early 2007. As the coeducational status of the school prospers, the high school department has accepted girls since 2006.

In 2007, the school supported the Department of Education's project, Alternative Learning System Accreditation and Equivalency (ALS A&E), together with Pag-unlad ng Kabataan sa Kapatiran ni San Andres (PKKSA).[1][24] The project aims alternative education to out-of-school youths and adults in relation to the "Christian and missionary formation" of the school.[25]

[edit] School life and culture

[edit] Andrean

The term Andrean pertains to a student or an alumnus of St. Andrew's School. In 2006, it was introduced as a backronym for Awareness, Nationalism, Dedication, Respect, Excellence, Accompaniment, and Nature lover.[26]

[edit] School hymn

Mr. Francis Dandan, the organist of the school and the St. Andrew Parish Choir (SAPC), came upon an idea of composing the school hymn for he noticed graduates leave the school without an alma mater song since the school was established. In 1976, he asked the English teachers, with the help of Odelia Cruz, to submit a poem about the school and that he composed the music for the chosen piece. Mr. Dandan based the lyrics from the works of Mrs. Edith Ferrer, Mr. Maximo Marcelo and Fr. Paul Foulon. After several revisions, the hymn was completed on March 6, 1976, and it was taught to the graduating class for them to sing it on their commencement exercises. Thus, the batch of 1976 was the first ones to sing the St. Andrew's School Hymn.[14]

In 2006, Mrs. Cheribin Gregorio-Cruz translated the school hymn from English to Filipino. This was first sang during the school's cultural presentation in December 2006.[27]

[edit] Mission Fair

The school hosts an annual fair called SAS Mission Fair during the last week of October. The school fair themes the Vatican II Decree Ad Gentes and Pope Paul VI's Evangeli Nuntiandi. The Gospel must be witnessed and be proclaimed by all Christians, in words and in deeds. From these, the school forms the initiative to host the fair "for a cause". All proceeds of the fair will be used for raising funds for local and foreign religious missions.[28]

[edit] Publications

  • The Andrean, the annual publication
  • The SAS Courier, the official student publication (English)
  • Ang Mensahero, the official student publication (Filipino)

[edit] Notable Alumni

[edit] Affiliations

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b Alternative Learning System, www.andreans.edu.ph
  2. ^ a b c Caber, Michael. (2006, Feb. 24). Parañaque school faces closure over mercury spill. Manila Standard Today Online.
  3. ^ a b c Manongdo, Jean & Fernando, Jean. (n.d.). Poison experts to conduct mercury sweep in school. Manila Bulletin Online. February 23, 2006.
  4. ^ Jimenez, C. (2006, Feb. 23). Mercury poisoning in school. The Business Mirror, Manila. February 23, 2006.
  5. ^ Environmental group calls for restricted mercury use in schools. (2006, Feb. 24). Sun.Star Manila.
  6. ^ Palacio, Rose. (2006, Apr. 25). Davao council approves restriction on use of mercury. Philippine Information Agency Press Release.
  7. ^ a b Tubeza, Philip. (2006, May 25). Bill filed seeking ban on mercury in all RP schools. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  8. ^ Uy, Jocelyn. (2006, May 25). Mercury-exposed school could open in June — experts. Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  9. ^ a b Caber, Michael & Araneta, Macon. (2006, June 2). Last-minute class-opening preparations, "Parañaque is mercury-free". Manila Standard Today.
  10. ^ Babay, Dulce. "From Palanyag to Parañaque".
  11. ^ Tunglapan, Lulet, Noemi Pabico and Raymond Calma. (2005, Dec.). Simbahan ng San Andres, Noon at Ngayon (The Church of St. Andrew, Then and Now). LAYAG Year Ender Special, Cathedral Parish of St. Andrew.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Brief History of St. Andrew's School. (1992). 75th Foundation Anniversary of St. Andrew's School Annual.
  13. ^ a b c History, www.andreans.edu.ph
  14. ^ a b De Leon, Raymund Gerald & Ayo, Gilbert Gabriel. (1992). St. Andrew's School Hymn. 75th Foundation Anniversary of St. Andrew's School Annual.
  15. ^ Students’ Handbook. (2007). SAS High School Department. (p. 10)
  16. ^ 4 US scientists to help clear Parañaque school of mercury. (n.d.). GMANews.TV
  17. ^ Uy, Jocelyn. (2005, Mar. 15). St. Paul 'adopts' St. Andrew's graduating students. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://www.7-zeal2004-2005.5u.com
  18. ^ a b c Children’s Environmental Health: Quicksliver Response. Miami, USA: The Early Childhood Initiative Foundation
  19. ^ DOH hires experts to clean up mercury contamination in school. (2006, Mar. 22). GMANews.TV.
  20. ^ U.S. Government Scientists Discuss Mercury Spill Decontamination Processes. (2006, May 26). Embassy of the United States (Manila) (website).
  21. ^ Pecson, Jomar and Robert de Guzman. (2006). SAS wins Philippine Marketing Excellence Awards - Most Outstanding Catholic School for Boys. The SAS Courier. July - October 2006 Release.
  22. ^ Caber, Michael. Students confined after inhaling mercury in Parañaque school. (2006, Feb. 22). Manila Standard Today Online.
  23. ^ Mendoza, Mira. There’s Something Wrong with Mercury. (2007, Dec. 31). Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online.
  24. ^ Sumatra, Daryl. (2007). SAS Starts ALS A&E Programs. The SAS Courier. June-September 2007 release.
  25. ^ Students’ Handbook. (2007). SAS High School Department. pp. 7-8
  26. ^ http://www.andreans.edu.ph/default.asp
  27. ^ SAS Cultural Presentation and Musical Extravaganza. (2006).
  28. ^ Annual Mission Fair 2007, www.andreans.edu.ph
  29. ^ http://www.cbcponline.net/bishops/bishops/tagle.html
  30. ^ MSGR. FRANCIS DE LEON named new auxiliary bishop of Antipolo
  31. ^ http://www.navy.mil.ph/foicpn.html
  32. ^ http://www.paranaquecity.com/junbernabe.html
  33. ^ a b Andrean Pride. The SAS Courier. December 2005 release.

[edit] External links

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